


Just One Bite

by StarlightSystem



Series: Transcendence AU [3]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Transcendence (Gravity Falls), Angst, Blood, Ficlet, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, The crushing guilt of being a demon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21807316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightSystem/pseuds/StarlightSystem
Summary: The first soul Dipper ever ate tasted like nothing he could have ever imagined.
Series: Transcendence AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1372192
Comments: 11
Kudos: 91
Collections: TAU Discord Recs





	Just One Bite

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place in the [Transcendence AU](http://transcendence-au.tumblr.com/)! It's a sequel to [this ficlet by the lovely Seiya234](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2421911/chapters/17715118).

The first soul Dipper ever ate tasted like nothing he could have ever imagined.

It went beyond taste, it went beyond feeling. It was as if his very being was being shaken by something sweeter than chocolate, saltier than his favorite potato chips, spicier than that hot pepper Mabel had made him eat when he lost a bet. With just one bite, he felt more alive than he ever had, even before the demonic fire burned the life clean off him. No more than a bite, and he felt like a wholly new person.

And he wanted more. _More. **M͇͍̘̝O̦̜̗̬R̤̙̝̪E-**_

No. That was enough. He may have become a demon, but that didn’t mean he had to act like it. The stupid dragon was wrong. He wouldn’t become a slave to this. He didn’t like it. He wouldn’t eat any more. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t let himself. He was _better_ than this!

He took another bite.

It wasn't a physical object, but he felt it fracture between his sharp teeth, heard the crunch echo around the cave. And it screamed, louder than he thought something could scream, not when it had neither a mouth nor a voice. Not when it was supposed to have already died in his hands. Yet scream it did -- so anguished and violent that it rippled through his being.

And that just made him hungrier.

He bit down again, and again. Shoved the rest of it in his craw so fast that he barely had time to savor it, because the rush was too great. It slid down his throat, and he never felt it hit the bottom.

More. He needed _**M͇͍̘̝O̦̜̗̬R̤̙̝̪E**_.

There were crumbs on his fingers. His tongue flitted out automatically to lick them up, and -- he paused. That was new. His tongue was rectangular, with a fork at the end, like a snake. He was sure it hadn't been that way before.

Or... maybe it had been. It was getting hard to think about.

Something other than a crunch echoed off the walls. Something a little more familiar, but at the same time, so so alien. His body shuddered as it passed through him, shaking him to his very core. It almost felt like it was coming out of him.

A strange, golden liquid dripped onto his hand. Someone was crying. Weird.

He folded his legs, and drew his knees up to his chest. Stubby wings popped out from his lower back. They seemed bigger now, and he wasn’t sure he was going to be able to get used to that -- _he would though, he would and it would feel so natural that he couldn’t even imagine not having them_ \-- but right now they felt weirdly comforting. As if he could wrap them around him like a tight blanket.

Was he sad? Demons didn’t get sad. So why was he acting like this? He tried to think, but his brain was too fuzzy. He was so, _so_ hungry. It felt like he hadn’t eaten in years, even though he’d just -

Mabel. How was he going to tell Mabel? He couldn’t, he didn’t want her to know what new level he’d sunk to. She’d been so understanding so far, but there had to be a breaking point and then she’d be just like everyone else who’d run screaming away from him and _he couldn’t breathe he wasn’t breathing when had he stopped_ -

He gasped, drawing in more than a lungful of air, and dissolved into a coughing fit. Flecks of golden blood splattered onto the ground. He wiped his mouth and then clutched his stomach in pain. What was he going to do? How was he going to make this _stop_?

He didn’t want this.

He hadn’t asked for it!

He was just a boy.

He could still remember how he felt only a year ago, looking up at Grunkle Ford and imagining himself all grown up. He was just a boy then too, but at that point his future seemed so bright. Now he wanted anything in the world other than to grow up.

Demons weren’t supposed to worry about things like this.

Somehow, he pushed himself to his feet. He wobbled a bit -- strange, when gravity had no power to shake him anymore -- and reached for the cave wall to steady himself. His hand rested on something wet and gross. He pulled it back and examined the blood on it. Watched but didn’t feel himself thrust his hand to his face so he could lick the blood off.

Ignored as best he could the rumble in his stomach as he took a step forward.

Run away. He’d run away. It was the only option. The only way everyone would be safe. The only way he could avoid seeing the disappointment on Mabel’s face.

She’d tell him it was okay, and he’d slump his shoulders and cry again, because it wasn’t okay, _it would never be okay_. And from then on, she’d know when he was hugging her that his stomach was rumbling and that he could snap at any moment.

She’d tell him it was okay, and he’d shudder because he’d see it, that glowing orb buried deep within her. He’d see the pearls of life coalescing on it. He’d hear how loud she could scream, the perfect garnish for such a delicious meal. He’d sweat at the prospect of all that power, all that energy. Salivate at the thought of sinking his teeth _deep_ into it.

She’d tell him it was okay, and the rumble would shake through his body, deafening him with hunger. He couldn’t let that happen.

But the stupid dragon was right. He _needed_ more. That soul was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted in his entire life and he’d never rest until he got **_M̡̭͓͓͇͋̍̋̚O̟̠ͣͫR̴̵̡̲͍̘͕̰̻̂̇ͪȄ̫̜̦̲̩̜ͦ̒̊̅͘_**.

At the mouth of the cave, he peered up with blinded eyes at the sky. Saw the clouds, and the trees, and the birds. Heard the gentle breeze tickle his form. Felt the burning, crushing guilt. The crippling emptiness in his stomach.

He took a running start and leapt into the air, soaring on bat wings that suddenly stretched wider than he was tall. The ground disappeared far below him, but he could pick out every living being with perfect clarity. They were _hi̢͙̱͙̟̳͙s̷̗_ , after all. And even if they weren’t, it’d be so easy to fix that.

He was falling asleep. He hoped that when he woke up, he’d still remember who he was.

* * *

Hours later, Mabel came home from school to discover Dipper huddled in the laundry basket, wingless, covered in blood, eyes squeezed shut, whispering “I’m sorry” over and over again.

She reached in, grabbed his hands, and pulled him out. His outfit was a mess. His face was crumpled. He opened his eyes, but seemed to be deliberately avoiding making eye contact with her. She’d seen him do this before. Whatever happened must’ve been pretty bad.

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes. She knew he’d talk when he was ready to. But he didn’t. Instead, he bent over and puked until the floor was covered in golden glitter and little chunks of goodness-knows-what.

She stood frozen in shock for a moment. This... was new. She wasn’t afraid, she was just... worried. Were demons supposed to be able to get sick? She didn’t know what was going on -- _neither of them did, these days_ \-- but she wanted him to be okay.

So she sat down beside him. Patted him on the back. Whispered that it was okay.

He leaned into her chest and started to cry.

And underneath his crying, she heard something rumble.


End file.
